Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Founded
- 1992
- Students
- 349
- International
- 25%
About HfG Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (Staatliche Hochschule fuer Gestaltung Karlsruhe, HfG) is a public art college in Baden-Wuerttemberg, opened on 15 April 1992 as a reform academy founded by Heinrich Klotz together with the ZKM Center for Art and Media, which shares its building on Lorenzstrasse in Karlsruhe. Teaching interlinks art, design and media theory across five departments: Exhibition Design and Scenography, Communication Design, Product Design, Media Art, and Art Research and Media Philosophy. Study is project-based and deliberately non-modular: instead of ECTS points students sit an intermediate examination by the sixth semester and graduate after nine semesters with a Diplom (practice subjects) or Magister Artium (theory subjects) - degrees the university describes as internationally recognised and Bologna-compatible, with doctorates possible afterwards. Roughly 350-400 students study in groups of about 20 per professor. The regular teaching language is German, though many international professors teach in English, and cooperation with ZKM, KIT and regional universities feeds exhibitions, film programmes and research projects.
Opened 15 April 1992 alongside ZKM by founding rector Heinrich Klotz - art school and media museum share one building
One of few German institutions awarding Diplom (9 semesters) and Magister Artium, described as fully Bologna-compatible
Five departments spanning Media Art, Communication/Product/Exhibition Design and Art Research & Media Philosophy
Roughly 350-400 students with about 20 students per professor
Non-EU fee EUR 1,500 per semester since WS 2017/18; EU students pay no tuition
Applications 1 March - 30 April, winter intake only, decided by portfolio/aptitude examination
Exchange via Erasmus+, PROMOS and Baden-Wuerttemberg Scholarship; annual Rundgang exhibition
Key facts
- Founded
- 1992
- Students
- 349
- International
- ~25% (SS 2023)
- Faculties
- 5
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees for EU students. Since winter semester 2017/18 non-EU/EEA students pay EUR 1,500 per semester (the Baden-Wuerttemberg non-EU fee) plus a semester fee - given as EUR 185.00 on the HfG international page and EUR 202.50 in the CHE ranking 2026/27. Abolition of the non-EU fee remains under discussion at state level but had not been decided as of the latest published information.
Admission requirements
Application runs exclusively through the HfG's own online portal h1.hfg-karlsruhe.de (no uni-assist): motivation letter (1-2 pages), CV, university entrance certificates and an artistic portfolio of max. 20 work samples as one PDF up to 50 MB; applicants to the theory subject Art Research and Media Philosophy submit a written analysis instead of a portfolio. Admission is decided by aptitude examination. Foreign certificates need certified German or English translations; applicants from China, India and Vietnam require a valid APS certificate, South Korean applicants proof of the College Scholastic Ability Test. Recognised German proofs include DSH-1, TestDaF TDN 3 in all four parts, DSD II, Goethe-Zertifikat B2/C1/C2, OeSD B2-C2 and telc Deutsch B2/C1 Hochschule.
Application deadlines
Winter semester intake only: applications including portfolios must be submitted between 1 March and 30 April (exclusion deadline) for the following winter semester.
How international applicants apply
NOT DOCUMENTED (own portal). Application is online-only through the HfG's own portal h1.hfg-karlsruhe.de (HISinOne), 1 March - 30 April for the following winter semester, with portfolio (max 20 work samples, 50 MB PDF) uploaded digitally; supplementary info for international applicants covers only recognised German-language certificates (DSH-1, TestDaF TDN 3, Feststellungsprüfung German part, DSD II, Goethe B2/C1/C2, ÖSD, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule) to be proven by enrolment. Neither the application-procedure page nor the international-applicants page mentions uni-assist or a VPD requirement; foreign-certificate holders are advised to contact the university directly.
Languages of instruction
German is the regular teaching language; many courses are taught in English by international professors. No fully English-taught degree programme is advertised - German proficiency must be proven by enrolment.
Student accommodation
What HfG Karlsruhe publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
From the university
Dormitories are administered by the local Studentenwerk.
Campuses & locations
76135 Karlsruhe; shared building with ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe)
Living in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe, the fan-shaped former residence city in Baden-Wuerttemberg, hosts the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a dense museum and theatre scene, and the ZKM media museum occupying the same building as the HfG. The city is compact and bike-friendly, with ICE rail connections toward Stuttgart, Basel and Frankfurt and affordable student housing compared to larger metropolitan areas.
Student life & support
Small cohorts allow intensive mentoring and open access to seminars across all departments. Students use studios and workshops for 3D, photography, film, animation, sound, creative computing/gaming and extended reality, a specialist library of about 90,000 books and media, and KIT's university sports programme. Exchange options include Erasmus+, PROMOS and the Baden-Wuerttemberg Scholarship; work is shown in temporary exhibitions and the annual Rundgang open-studio event. Dormitories are administered by the local Studentenwerk.
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